Typewriting machine



March 14, 1944. H. L. PITMAN 'I'YPEWR-ITING MACHINE Filed Dec. 26, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 March 14, 1944. T 2,344,167

TYPEWRI'IING MACHINE Filed Dec. 26, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR..

Hf/VPY L PIT/VAN Patented Mar. 14, 1944 TYPEVVRITIN G MACHINE Henry L. Pitman, West Hartford, Conn.,assigner to Underwood Elliott Fisher Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application December 26, 1941, Serial No. 424,489

14 Claims.

This invention relates to power-operated typing machines and, more particularly, to means for regulating the power drive eflect on typing members sothat the typing members may function properly under conditions requiring difierent' degrees of force.

Each typing member may be driven by a power drive during a certain portion of its working stroke and then the power drive automatically is discontinued so that the typing member completes the stroke by momentum. The momentum, and hence the force by which the typing member functions, may be regulated by variably timing the instant at which the power drive is discontinued.

. The invention deals with means, common to all the typing members, such as the type bars of a standard typewriter, which, according to a variable setting of a manually settable regulator,- determines the instant at which the power drive isdiscontinued, and hence, determines the momentum or force with which the typing members impress the types on a work sheet. A traveling carriage provides for relative lateral movements of the type bars and work sheet.

The typin members may have to be operated with extra force in respect to certain positions of the carriage. The copending application of R. W. Pitman, Serial No. 419,889, filed November 21 1941, discloses work sheet punching mechanism adapted to be operated by the printing type bars of a typewriter only when the carriage is in a punching zone. In such case, the function of the type bars, for printing and punching substantially simultaneously, calls for additional force as com-' pared with the force required for printing alone. By applying the additional force, the imprint of the type upon the work sheet, when done simultaneously with punching, will not be weakened but may be substantially uniform with the imprint eiiected when the type bars are operated for typing alone.

The general object of the invention is to provide a power typing machine with means acting automatically for changing the power drive efiect on typing members.

Another object of the invention is to provide means operable automatically under control of the carriage for changing the instant at which the power drive of the typing member is discon tinued in order to give the typing member the proper momentum for printing and punching simultaneously at one portion in the range of carriage travel or for only printing at another portion in the carriage-travel range.

Such carriage control of the typing member momentum or force is useful also for other conditions. For example,'typing may be done only on one-work sheet at one portion of the carriagetravel range; but at another portion of the carriage-travel range, there may be done manifold typing on a plurality of work sheets, the manifold typing requiring additional momentum or force in the operation of the typing members;

Another object of the invention is to provide means for changing the typing member momentum under control of case-shift operations in order that the momentum may be greater in upper-case typing to compensate for the greater distance of an upper-case type from the type bar fulcrum and to compensate for-extra throw of the usual ribbon Vibrator.

Another object of the invention is to adapt the manual control, the carriage control and the caseshift control of momentum of the typing members so that these different controls may function through some portions of mechanism common to' the several controls in order to simplify the mechanism and reduce the number of parts} The manual regulator-may be settable within a range corresponding to a predetermined range of typing member momentum. It is a further object of the invention to enable the carriage control or the case-shift control of typing member momentum to function irrespective of the setting of the manual regulator.

The foregoin and other objects, features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the. drawings: v Y

Figure 1 is a perspective of an embodiment of the invention as applied to a typing machine, the latter itself being shown only in such part as is necessary to an understanding of the invention,

Figures 2 and 3 show work sheet forms for illustratinguses of the invention,

Figure 4 is a cross sectional side view of the machine embodying the invention,

Figure 5 is a cross-'sectional'side view of a dis connect universal bar for the type actuators and illustrates provision for holding screw abutments inadjusted positions,

Figure 6 is a side elevation, with some of the parts in cross section, showing carriage operation of the'device when the manual regulator is in one extreme position.

i ure 7 is a view similar to Figure 4 but illustratlng carriage operation of the device when the manual regulator is in the other extreme position.

Type bars l5 are fulcrumed at I6 in a segment l1, partly shown, Figure 4. A platen I8 is journaled in a carriage l9 guided on tracks 20, 2| on frame F of the machine. A comb-slotted bar 22 fixed within frame F mounts a transverse row of sub-levers 23 on a horizontal fulcrum axis 24. Upper arm ends 25 of the sub-levers are graded from axis 24 to conform in array substantially with the arcuate array of .operating arms 26 of the type bars and are connected to said arms 26 by links 21. There is the usual complement of type actions as diagrammatically represented by the dot-and-dash line 28, Figures 1 and 4, but only the middle and end type action are depicted, the other type actions, not shown, being similar.

A draw link 30 is pivoted to each sub-lever at 3| at a distance below axis 24 proportionate to the distance of the upper arm end 25 above said axis, whereby the actuating strokes of said draw links may be substantially uniform and impart uniform strokes to the upper sub-lever ends 25 and type bars. Key levers 32 fulcrumed on axis 24 may extend forwardly through a slotted comb guide 33 in frame F and present type key 34 at a conventional keyboard. By depressing a key lever 32, counter to its restoring spring 35, its pawl 36 depresses an arm 31 of the companion draw link 30 to lift the latter about pivot 3i and engage its toothed dog 38 with a transverse snatch roll 39 universal to all the type actions. Snatch roll 39 is joumaled within frame F and may be continuously rotated by a motor drive, not shown. Upon engagement of dog 38 therewith, the snatch roll 39 initially rotates dog 38 limitedly clockwise about its pivot 40 and then drives said dog and draw link as a unit in the type actuating stroke. A pin-and-slot'connection 4|, Figure 4, limits theinitial rotation of dog 38 on draw link 30.

Draw links 38 may rest normally upon a transverse bar 42 within frame F and may be laterally spaced and guided by front and rear com-bslotted bars 43, 44. Draw link'dogs 38 may rest normally upon the top of rear bar 44. Oblique restoring springs 45 urge the draw links forwardly, and downwardly against bar 42.

Escapement dogs 41, partly shown, Figure 4, are operatively connected to the type bars and to a space key, not shown, and cooperate with escapement wheel 48, geared to carriage I9, for letter-feeding the carriage by means of aspring motor 49. This letter-feed mechanism is conventional.

A transverse bar 52 is supported at its ends on left and right pivots 53; only the left pivot 53 is shown, the right pivot being similar. Knock-off headed screws 54, one for each draw link 30 are threaded into bar 52. The snatch roll driven draw link 30 encounters, by means of its cam edge 55, the head of screw 54 so that the draw link is cammed away from and thereby its dog 38 is freed from the snatch roll before the type bar I5 reaches the platen, and then the type action completes its printing stroke by momentum.

The momentum, and hence the force of the type action at the instant of printing, may b regulated individually for each type action by advancing or retarding the instant at which the draw link dog 38 becomes cammed free of the snatch roll. This individual regulation may be effected by turning the screw 54 to position its knock-off head for timing the instant at which the dog 38 is freed from the snatch roll.

The outer wall of bar 52 adjacent each screw 54 may be thin enough so that by means of a preferably fiat ended punch 51, Figure 5, a corresponding spot 58 of the wall, may be pressed in for binding the screw 54 to hold it in adjusted position. The binding need not be excessive but may permit intentional turning of the screw 54 for making or correcting an adjustment.

The knock-off screws 54 having been properly adjusted individually may be adjustable collectively relatively to draw links 30 by turnin the bar 52 about its pivots 53 to position the screws 54 for regulating the type action system as a whole. A regulating lever 68 is pivoted at 6| to frame F and has a finger piece 62 projecting through an opening in the front wall of frame F and a plate 63 secured to said front wall. The regulating lever 60 is springy sidewise and set so that its finger piece 62 normally is pressed into one or another of detent notches 84 formed at one side of the opening of plate 63, Figure l. The notches 84, of which there may be, say, six, serve to hold the lever 60 in different stations. The lever 60 may be sprung leftwardly slightly for shifting it from one notch to another.

Bar 52 has fixed thereto an arm 65 pivotally connected at 66 to a link 61. An opening 68 in the upper end of link 61 forms a notch 69 fitting over a stud l0 fixed in the rear arm of lever 60. Stud 10 has a flange 12, Figure 1, between which and the side of lever 60 the link 61 is retained. A spring H, connected between lever 60 and link 61, normally serves to keep notch 69 and stud 10 in engagement and thereby the knock-off bar I 52 normally is connected to lever 60 by link 61.

With lever 60 positioned in the lowermost detent notch 64, the bar 52 and its screws 54 stand in the full-line, Figure 4, position. Thi is the position for the greatest momentum of the type action at the instant of printing in that its draw link 30 becomes disengaged 0r freed from snatch roll 39 when the type bar is at the dotted-line position a, Figure 4. But with lever 69 positioned in the uppermost detent notch 64, Figure 1, bar 52 and its knock-off screws 54 will have been rotated clockwise to the Figure 1 position (represented by the dotted outline in Figure 4) so that the draw link 30 becomes freed from the snatch roll 39 when the type bar is at the dotted-line position b, Figure 4, and farthest from the platen. This is the position of least momentum of the type bar at the instant of printing in that the draw link is disconnected earlier, and hence more momentum is spent in reaching the platen and there is correspondingly less force of the type action at the instant of printing. Intermediate adjustments are effected by placing the lever 60 in one or another of the intermediate detent notches 64.

The momentum or force of the type actions at the instant of printing as determined by one or another position of lever 69 is constant in that it is only changeable, as far as the lever 60 is concerned, by changing the position of the latter.

There may be occasion for changing the force of the type actions for different columns of a work sheet. Figure 2 represents a work sheet in which only typing is done in columns A and B; but in column C, the type actions may type and at the same time punch representations [3 of the characters in the work sheet. Punching devices on the carriage are represented diagrammatically at 14, Figure 4, and are selectively operable by strikers 15 on the type bars 39 so that the latter type and punch substantially simultaneously. Such punching mechanism associated with the type actions is exemplified in the copending applications of R. W. Pitman, Serial No. 102,389, filed September 24, 1936, now Patent No. 2,278,118, dated March 31, 1942, and Serial No. 419,889, filed November 21, 1941, which also disclose means for restricting the punching to a. given column of the work sheet.

Figure 3 illustrates another occasion for changing the force of the type actions during a line of typing.

In this case, a single sheet 18 is typed upon in columns A and B. A narrow tally strip I6 and carbon 'I'I overlie the single sheet for manifolding in column C. For this manifolding, it is desired that the type actions operate for column C with greater force as compared with typing in columns A and B, so that the typing imprints in the several columns may be uniform.

There will now be described means for changing the force of the power-operated type actions automatically under control of the carriage according to different work sheet places or columns.

Carriage I9 carries a column unit I9. Side arms 89 fixed to the carriage support racks 8I on which the column unit is locatable for a given column. The frame of the machine has a supporting track 82 along which the column unit runs while the carriage traverses the column zone. A cam plate 83 traversible by the column unit is supported, for vertical movement, between side plates 84 secured to the frame of the machine. The column unit structure and supporting means, and the cam plate structure may be similar to that in H. L. Pitman Patent No. 2,160,487, dated May 30, 1939.

A bell crank 85 has a fulcrum 85 on side plate 84 and has its vertical arm connected bya link 81 to a crank 89 fixed to a rock shaft 89 journaled at 99, 9| within the machine frame. An arm 92 also fixed to shaft 89 has a cam slot 93 fitting a stud or roller 94 on the link Bl. The horizontal arm of bell crank 85 has a stud 95 extending through a clearance 95 in plate 84 to underlie the lower edge of cam plate 83 for operatively connecting the latter and bell crank 85. A spring 91' anchored to plate 84 and connected to bell crank 85 urges the latter counterclockwise of Figure 4 and thereby normally maintains its train in position so that the cam slot 93 stands vertically while the notch 89 in the link 61 engages the stud 'IE! on lever 60. In this position cam slot 93 permits up-and-down shift of roller 94 and its link 6'! to different positions of adjustment by lever 69. Counterclockwise movement of bell crank 85 by spring 91 may be limited by a stop 98, Figure 4, on plate 84 or by abutment of the bottom of notch 69 with stud If! in lever 69.

Column unit I9 has a tappet 99 to engage and depress cam plate 83 while the carriage traverses the zone for column C of the work sheet, Figures 2 and 3. Cam plate 83 may have a dwell I99 so that tappet 99 keeps the cam plate depressed only for the time that the carriage traverses said zone. The depression of cam plate 83 rocks bell crank 85 clockwise. counter to spring 91, and, therefore, arm 92 will be displaced counterclockwise from the Figures 1 and 4 position to the position in Figures 6 and 7. By this displacement of arm 92, its cam slot 93 and the roller 94 cooperate to displace link 61 laterally to the right about pivot 65 to withdraw link notch 69 from stud I of lever I58 so that it immediately results that link 61 is moved upwardly by a spring IOI, connected between link 6'! and stud .19, and correspondingly bar 52 and its screws 54 are rocked counterclockwise about pivots 53 to the full-line Figures 6 and '7 position in which an arm of bar 52 abuts a stop I92.

In Figure 6, the lever 69 stands in the extreme position according to which bar 52 would be in the dotted-line position so that any draw link 30 would become freed from snatch roll 39 when type bar I5 is at the dot-and-dash line position Figure 6, for least force of the type action at the instant of printing. In Figure 6, the depression of cam plate 83 and attendant disconnection of link 61 from lever 89 with resulting movement of bar 52 to the full-line position determines freeing of any draw link 39 from snatch roll 39 when the type bar is at the full-line position, Figure 6, for greatest force of the type action at the instant of printing. It will be seen now that the carriage, by depression of cam plate 83 for column C of the Work sheet, Figures 2 and 3, has automatically determined increased force of the power operated type action for said column as compared with the lesser force determined by the Figure 6 setting of lever 69.

In Figure '7, the manual lever 69 is at its other extreme position corresponding to the Figure 4 full-line position of bar 52 for freeing any draw link 39 from snatch roll 39 when the type bar is at the dotted-line position, Figure 7, for maximum force of the type action as far as lever 89 is concerned. The depression of cam plate 83 results in disconnection of link 51 from lever 68 and movement of bar 52 to the Figure 7 position, and this movement is, of course, less than in Figure 6 and determines freeing of any draw link 36 from snatch roll 39 when the type bar is at the full-line position, Figure '7, according to which there will be an increase of force of the type action over that determined by the Figure 7 setting of lever 69.

With settings of lever Eli intermediat th extreme Figures 5 and '7 positions, the movements of bar 52 will be from the corresponding intermediate positions to the Figures 6 and 7 full-line positions at depression of cam plate 83.

As soonas the carriage has advanced so that the tappet 93 has left cam plate 83, spring 97 turns bell crank counterclockwise to turn arm 92 counterclockwise and, by means of cam slot 93 and roiler 94, forces link '5! laterally to the left about pivot 65. As link '61 is shifted leftwardly from the Figure 6 or '7 position an oblique cam edge i93 thereof leading into notch 69 reacts on the stationary stud of lever 59 so that said link 8? is also forced downwardly, by means of spring 9? which is superior to spring Iti, until notch 89 is again caught over stud F9 and correspondingly bar 52 is back in th position determined by the setting of lever 59.

It will be seen now that the force of the poweroperated type actions is changed automatically under control of the carriage either as the carriage enters or leaves a zone for which the col case. In a basket case-shift mechanism, the throw of the ribbon vibrator may be the same for upper and lower case when typing in black; but in accounting work, the basket shift to upper case may call for increased throw of the ribbon vibrator by the type actions to change from black to red typing. An automatic increase in the momentum or force of the type actions is, therefore, desirable when typing in upper case.

To this end, bar 52 may be operatively connected to the case-shift mechanism so that, by a shift to upper case, the position of the bar will be changed automatically :from that determined by lever 60. In the present instance, the type basket segment I! is shiftable downwardly from lower-case position, Figure 4, to upper-case position. An arm I05 on segment I'I, Figure 4, has a fulcrum I06 for a lever having an arm III! connected by a push link I08 to bell crank 85. When segment I5, which herein is all that need be shown of the case-shift mechanism, is shifted downwardly to upper-case position, a cam-anddwell ended lower arm I09 of said lever, which is shifted downwardly with segment I I, reacts on a fixed rod or stud H0 50 that said lever I 01, I09 is turned clockwise to the dotted-lin position, Figure 4, and, through link I08, turns. bell crank 85 clockwise, counter to spring 91. This turning of bell crank 85 at the case shift moves arm 92 and link 61 to disconnect the latter from lever 60 for resulting movement of link 61, bar 52 and its screws 54, by spring IIH to the full-line, increased power position, Figures 6 and 7. When segment I! is returned upwardly to lower-case position, the lever I01, I09 is also returned upwardly and recedes from rod or stud H0 and, therefore, spring 01, cam edge I03, and stud I0 cooperate to restore automatically the parts to the positions wherein bar 52 and screws 54 have reverted back to the position determined by the setting of lever 80.

Link I08 may comprise, Figure 4, a bar III having ears H2 in which a rod H3 of th link is slidably retained. A collar H4 fixed on rod H3 bears on one of the ears H2 to enable the link to transmit movement of lever I01, I09 to bell crank 85 at the shift to upper case. When bell crank 85 is turned counterclockwise by cam plate 83, bar III may move independently of rod H3 so that lever I01, I00 may remain stationary. This construction permits adjusting the length of the link I08, between bell crank 85 and lever I01, I09, by adjusting collar H4 on rod H3.

Variations may be resorted to within the scope of the invention and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

What is claimed is:

1. In a power type action mechanism, the combination with a power driver, a type actuator operable thereby in a typing stroke, a device differentially conditionable to limit variably the durationof operation of the actuator by said driver during said stroke, and a traveling carriage, of a manually settable regulator, operative connections, from said device to said regulator and said carriage, and means associated with said connections, whereby the condition of said device may be set by said regulator and changed and restored automatically under control of said carriage at predetermined points in its travel.

2. In a power type action mechanism, the combination with a power driver, a type actuator operable thereby in a typing stroke, a device differentially settable to limit variably the duration of operation of the actuator by said driver during said stroke, and a case-shiftable part, of a manually settable regulator, operative connections, from said device to said regulator and said caseshiftable part, and means associated with said connections, whereby said device may be set by said regulator, and whereby said device'may be disconnected from said regulator, reset and restored automatically under control of operation of said case-shiftable part.

3. In a power type action mechanism, the combination with a power driver, a type actuator operable thereby in a typing stroke, a device differentially conditionable to limit variably the duration of operation of the actuator by said driver during said stroke, a traveling carriage and a case-shiftable part, of a manually settable regulator, operative connections, from said device to said regulator, to said carriage and to said case-shiftable part, and means associated with said connections, whereby the condition of said device may be set by said regulator and changed and restored. automatically under control of said case-shiftable part or under control of said carriage at predetermined points in its travel.

4. In a typewriter having a traveling carriage, the combination of a power driver, a type actuator connectible to and operable by the driver in a typing stroke, a shiftable device, means positioning said device to disengage the actuator from the driver at a predetermined instant before the end of the stroke which is then completed by momentum of the actuator, and means operable under control of the carriage at predetermined points in its travel for changing and restoring the position of said device automatically.

5. In a typewriter having a traveling carriage, the combination of a power driver, a type actuator connectible to and operable by the driver in a typing stroke, a shiftable device, means p0- sitioning said device to disengage the actuator from the driver at a predetermined instant before the end of the stroke which is then completed by momentum of the actuator, means operable under control of the carriage at predetermined points in its travel for changing and restoring the position of said device automatically, a caseshiftable part and an operative connection therefrom to said last-named means, whereby the case shifts of said part may change and restore the position of said device automatically.

6. In a typewriter having a traveling carriage, the combination of a power driver, a type actuator connectible to and operable by the driver in a typing stroke, a device variably positionable to disengage the actuator from the driver at different instants before the end of the stroke which is then completed by momentum of the actuator, a regulator manually settable to different positions and having a connection to said device to determine the position of said device, and means operable under control of the carriage at predet'ermined points in its travel to disengage and reengage said connection and correspondingly automatically change and restore the position of said device.

7. In a typewriter having a traveling carriage, the combination of a power driver, a type actuator connectible to and operable by the driver in a typing stroke, a device variably positionable to disengage the actuator from the driver at difierent instants before the end of the stroke which is then completed by momentum of the actuator, a support, a connection from said support to said device to determine the position of said device, and means operable under control of the carriage at predetermined points in its travel to disengage and reengage said connection and correspondingly automatically change and restore the position of said device.

8. In a typewriter, the combination with a system of typing members, a power mechanism, type keys operable to select and cause operation of the typing members in printing strokes by said power mechanism, and a traveling carriage, of a device settable to different positions to govern correspondingly the force of the printing strokes, and means operable under control of the carriage at predetermined places in its travel to change the setting of said device automatically.

9. In a typewriter, the combination with a power driver, and a type actuator connectible to and operable by the power driver in a printing stroke, of a device variably positionable to disengage the actuator at different instants before the end of th stroke which is then completed by momentum of the actuator, a support, a connection from the support to said device to determine a position of the latter, said connection being conditionable to free said device, and spring means moving the freed device to a different position, means being provided so that said device is restored by restoring said connection.

10. In a typewriter having type actuators and power means to operate said actuators in printing strokes, the combination with a device movable to different positions to vary the printing force of the strokes, a support, a link connected at one end to said support and at the other end to said device to determine a position of the device, the connection at one end of the link being disengageable, by lateral displacement of the link, to free said device, a spring acting to shift the freed device to another position, and means operating by lateral restoration of the link in the opposite direction to restore said device and reengage the disengaged connection.

11. In a typewriter having type actuators and power means to operate said actuators in printing strokes, the combination with a device movable to different positions to vary the printing force of the strokes, a regulator manually settable to different positions, a link connected at one end to said regulator and at the other end to said device to determine the position of the device by the position of the regulator, the connection at one end of the link being disengageable, by lateral displacement of the link, to free said device, a spring acting to shift the freed device to another position, and means operating by lateral restoration of the link in the opposite direction to restore said device and reengage the disengaged connection.

12. In a typewriter having type actuators and power means to operate said actuators in printing strokes, the combination with a device movable to different positions to vary the printing force of the strokes, a support, a link connected at one end to said support and at the other end to said device to determine a position of the device, the connection at one end of the link being disengageable, by lateral displacement of the link, to free said device, a spring acting to shift the freed device to another position, means operating by lateral restoration of the link in the opposite direction to restore said device and reengage the {disengaged connection, a traveling carriage, and means controlled by the carriage at predetermined points in its travel to effect the lateral movements of the link automatically.

13. In a typewriter having type actuators and power means to operate said actuators in printing strokes, the combination with a device movable to different positions to vary the printing force of the strokes, a support, a link connected at one end to said support and at the other end to said device to determine a position of the device, the connection at one end of the link being disengageable, by lateral displacement of the link, to free said device, a spring acting to shift the freed device to another position, means operating by lateral restoration of the link in the opposite direction to restore said device and reengage the disengaged connection, a case-shiftable part, and means controlled by the shifts of said part to effect the lateral movements of the link.

14. In a typewriter having a power driver and an actuator connectible to and operable by the driver in a working stroke, the combination with a shiftably supported device engageable by the actuator to effect its disengagement from the driver before the end of the stroke which is completed by momentum, of a regulator manually settable to different stations, a link connecting said device to said regulator, said link connection being constructed and the link being laterally shiftable in a direction to disengage the device from the regulator for independent shifts of said device, a spring acting to shift the device upon lateral shift of the link, means being provided so that by return shift of the link laterally the device is restored to the control of the regulator, a spring tending to efiect the return lateral shift of the link, and means for automatically controlling said lateral shifts of the link.

HENRY L. PITMAN. 

